OpenVPN Connect is the “official” application from OpenVPN Inc. and is intended to be more user-friendly for VPN users with limited technical experience. It’s also less loaded than openvpn for Android that is targeted at more advanced OpenVPN users.
Openvpn for Android is a free and open source client created by Arne Schwabe that lets you connect to any VPN service that is compatible with their website the OpenVPN protocol. If your device isn’t compatible the pre-configured VPN applications available on the Google Play Store, this is a great alternative. The setup process is fairly straightforward. You will need to import the VPN profile files. (The config files are named.ovpn). These can be downloaded from the provider’s website or via live chat support.
After you’ve added your profile, click on the server to connect. Once connected to the server, your Internet traffic is routed through a secure tunnel to the server specified in the app. You can see your connection’s status and details on the Status tab. A kill switch is enabled by default and will disable your Internet connections when the VPN tunnel drops.
The app offers a per-app VPN as and an option to be always on that automatically creates a VPN connection every time the app is opened and keeps it running after your device has gone to sleep or switched networks. This feature, however, requires Android 7.0 and higher, and can drain your battery more than usual.